Groce hopes freshmen can continue to make impact for Illini

Illinois coach John Groce listens to a lot of music from the 1980s. He is aware a lot of artists during that time period had just a single big track.

He thought about that in regard to his freshmen as they prepare to start their second consecutive game tonight when Illinois travels to play Nebraska (8 p.m. BTN).

The mood and focus in Champaign has shifted from the program’s longest losing streak in the past 40 years to the emergence of freshmen Kendrick Nunn and Malcolm Hill.

Illinois had used the same starting lineup in the 23 games prior to Sunday’s 60-55 win over Penn State, when the two freshmen were inserted into the lineup in favor of veterans Jon Ekey and Joseph Bertrand. Groce pondered shaking things up for a few games but held back until he felt Nunn and Hill were ready defensively.

They helped contribute to holding the Nittany Lions without a field goal for nine minutes in the second half, and Nunn and Hill led the team with 19 and 11 points, respectively. But Groce wants to make sure that is not an aberration.

“I do not want to be a one-hit wonder,” Groce said.

Chicago product

The freshmen certainly played as if they intend to stay in the lineup, especially Nunn, who had a breakout performance.

This was his first start since his high school days at Chicago Simeon. He was seen as an important recruit from the moment he signed because he validated Groce’s ability to recruit the city of Chicago. Nunn helped Simeon to four straight state championships, alongside fellow Illini freshman Jaylon Tate.

In his first career start, Nunn paced the Illini with a career-high in points, 11 of which came in the second half and included a huge 3-pointer with 22 seconds left that all but sealed the game for Illinois. That caps a week where he was named Illini scholar-athlete of the week.

At the start of the year, Nunn appeared to be getting by on his athletic ability alone. He still made maddening mistakes indicative of a freshmen. But what impressed the coaching staff was his ability to put errors behind him. Moments after a costly turnover, Nunn would sprint down the floor on a fastbreak and block the opposing player’s shot.

Early on in the season Hill received some of the most minutes of any freshmen on the team. Then his production dropped off on both ends of the floor, and Groce was not happy with his play on defense. When that improved and began to show some consistency, Hill’s playing time increased.

“Early on in the season they were out there just trying to survive, but now they’re helping us defensively,” Groce said of Nunn and Hill. “They have an understanding of what we expect them to do. They are more accountable.”

Hill was second on the team in scoring against Penn State and added three key rebounds. He is the youngest member of this team, who at the start of the year needed to be rescued by a teammate with a car when he got lost on campus.

Hill and Nunn’s breakout game overshadows the contributions from Maverick Morgan and Austin Colbert, who at times have been seldom used or celebrated, but played double-digit, important minutes as well Sunday.

The new starting lineup allows Groce some flexibility. His bench is stronger with veterans Ekey and Bertrand providing experience.

“We just needed more guys to keep them a little bit more fresh, change up our rotations a little bit,” Groce said.

Groce was adamant that this was by no means a demotion for his veterans, and if the freshmen struggle he will almost certainly turn to Ekey and Bertrand for increased minutes down the stretch. However, if Hill and Nunn are playing well, as they did against Penn State, then they will finish the game.

But after getting a glimpse at the future and how bright it could be with Nunn and Hill, it may be time for a full youth movement to take over this otherwise lost Illinois season.

“They’ve got the platform to do it,” Groce said. “At this point it’s February, so they’ve got the knowledge or certainly more knowledge then they had when they first got together in June.”